The Generation
by uptown
Summary: The sequel to In Two Seconds.
1. Welcome Back

There's nothing to describe the feeling of being shot. It's sort of a Members-Only situation. But the best way to describe that first moment of impact would be something like this: Imagine you've just been punched in the ribs by four miniaturized line backers. And a bull. And a car. You almost don't realize what's happened. Why is everyone screaming? Your knees give out on you and you hear the sound of a hundred gasps and screams collectively released at the sight of what's in front of them. You feel like you should be screaming too...

But you can't find the breath.

No way to explain the pain. The sheer burn left in place by the path of a bullet. You could say it feel likes a hundred acres worth of forest fire concentrated into one little area of your body. But it's only for a moment. Then you reach down to the pain, your hand presses into something warm, you look down, and all you see is red. Blood.

Your blood.

No telling of the adrenaline suddenly released into your system. Your eyes turn into high-def cameras as if you're watching a movie in slow motion. You don't even feel claustrophobic as people suddenly envelop you in a frenzy. Someone is brushing pieces of hair from your forehead whispering an attempt at a calming "Shhh". Someone is pressing desperately against your wound. Someone else is holding you down- as if you would actually move. Someone is shouting at someone to "call 9-1-1!" And about fifty others are crowding around, wanting to help but unsure of what to do.

No stopping the tears from pouring from your loved one's eyes as they look down at their blood stained hands. You want to tell them it's okay but you can't find the words. Someone tells you help is on the way…

And you can't even tell them it's too late.

That's when you start to zone in and out. Like a skipping DVD hopping from scene to scene. One moment you're looking up into the wet eyes of the person you love. White out. You're being lifted onto a stretcher. White out. There are people staring at you, but they're starting to blur together…

White out.

And there's _definitely _nothing to describe the numbness you feel as you're enveloped by that final white out. A brighter, shining, white light…

Before everything fades to black.

/

Heaven isn't so bad. All the pain you felt before? Completely gone. You feel a little drowsy, but hey, that's to be expected… death can really take a lot out of a person, you know? It's peaceful. Everything's calm. No noise, no rush, just… peace. Troy and Sharpay sat there holding hands, sitting at the edge of a large cloud in front of the Golden Gate. Their feet dangled over the edge, pristine blue sky and cool air surrounding them.

"Can you believe this?" Troy said dreamily, letting loose Sharpay's hand and falling back against the cloud, his arms folding behind his head. Up here his blue eyes matched that of the sky around him, a plain white v-neck let him blend in with the clouds, his brown hair seemed golden against the glow of the invisible halo, and his jeans were the only thing to stand out.

Sharpay leaned back on her side, the side of her cheek pressing against Troy's angelic body. Her golden hair seemed to shine brighter against The Gate and her own halo, her ever-present tan making her white dress seem brighter. "Not bad, huh?" Troy squeezed an arm around her rib cage, holding her closer and Sharpay let her fingers draw circles atop his t-shirt. "I thought I'd never see you again."

She couldn't see- but there was an obvious smile in his voice as he responded, "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"I don't want to get rid of you at all. Ever."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "It's not even an option."

Sharpay let out a slow breath, listening to Troy's steady heartbeat. It seemed to be in perfect rhythm with her own- in sync. "I opt to lay here. With you. Just like this. Forever."

"I've got all the time in the world."

/

Challenge one: Closing your eyes to your dream heaven.

Level of difficulty: Hard.

Challenge two: Opening your eyes to the real world.

Level of difficulty: Hard_er_.

Sharpay blinked her eyes open slowly. She lifted her arm, wanting to rub the sleep away, but barely lifted it an inch before dropping it back down. She felt weak and heavy. Where was she? _When _was she? How long had she been asleep? Where was Troy? Where was _Gabriella_? Why was she so uncomfortable? What was that beeping noise? Why was there a needle feeding blood into her- _Oh_. Hospital.

It may as well be hell.

She tried to inch herself up slowly- feeling stiff against the unwelcoming hospital bed. You'd think they'd want to make these things a little more accommodating, no? Slowly her memory came back to her. The Gala… Gabriella pointing the gun… Troy throwing himself in front of her. The look on his face when… No. No no no. Where was he? Tears immediately flooded her eyes. He was dead wasn't he? That's why he wasn't here? He'd been shot saving her. She'd never see him again. Or touch him or kiss him. She'd never even told him how she really felt. And now she'd never get the chance. "Oh my god, Troy…"

"Sharpay?"

Sharpay's head whipped around so fast it almost hurt. Troy was at her side in an instant, his face pale and his blue eyes lined with red- like he'd been rubbing them, like he'd been crying, like he'd been up two days straight. He was still wearing his white dress shirt- the same one from the Gala, Sharpay reasoned, looking at the splotches of blood- the sleeves rolled to his elbows and a few buttons undone, a plain white t-shirt peaking out from underneath. Two fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Troy," she whispered weakly. It was all she could manage.

"_Jesus Christ_, Shar." Troy mumbled, his arms wrapping around her shoulders instantly and his lips pressing into her hair. For a moment, ignoring the pain that came with being squeezed, she was back in heaven. Sharpay felt her arms gripping at the back of Troy's shirt with all her strength. After a few seconds he pulled back, both of his hands going to either side of her face, and kissed her. The kind of kiss that made her feel like she was floating- like she was dreaming and they were both angels again.

Sharpay wiped at a tear with the back of her hand, reaching for Troy's fingers with the other. "Are you okay?"

Troy shook his head incredulously, a sly smile appearing on his face. "You're the one in the hospital bed."

"I'm in the..." her brows furrowed and she looked around the room fully. Looked like a recovery room. She could hear noises from other patients behind their curtains. "How long have I..."

"The accident itself was about... eight hours ago? The surgery took a while." He was speaking softly. Like it hurt to recount the events. "You're in the post-op room room right now."

Surgery for _the_ _accident_. That didn't sound very pleasant. Sharpay looked down- first at the needle in her arm, then at the blanket covering her lower body. Oh god… she'd been shot in the legs. They'd gotten infected. They'd been chopped off. In the heat of the moment, not even realizing how irrational the conclusion had been, she ripped the blanket of her legs. Legs! Yes! She had legs!

She would never take her limbs for granted again.

Then she frisked herself, letting go of Troy's hand, determined to find a missing body part or a giant hole in her stomach or something of that nature. This is when she realized she wasn't wearing a bra. Thankfully, Troy wasn't making her feel the least bit awkward about it. And that's when she felt it. At the bottom of her left ribcage she could feel a thick square bandage through her papery dress, then connected it to the bandage wrapping around her torso. She felt a strange, dull pain mixed with the numbness of the anesthesia. It seemed to strike the memory from within her.

Gabriella was pointing the gun at them. Troy had jumped in front of her, but she'd been hit. He'd caught her before she hit the ground. She'd almost died. "I-" She started, quickly starting to look around the room again. To her right was a heart monitor that assured her she was actually alive, no thanks to Gabriella. Next to it was a bag of blood hanging from a metal ring. A thin tube ran down and connected to her forearm.

"They uh, gave you a blood transfusion... You lost pretty good amount of your own." Troy said softly, noticing Sharpay staring at the blood. She looked over at him as he then nodded at the clear liquid. "And that's, um, that's- I can't remember the name now but if you start feeling pain then you can just press this button here and it'll give you a dose and… and you can't overdose, don't worry. It'll stop itself from…" Sharpay smiled up at Troy, who looked down at his hands, then back up to her, scratching his neck, "I, uh, may have asked the nurse to brief me on your situation... once or twice. Six times tops."

Sharpay swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes began drifting down to the dried blood on his shirt. "And Gabriella?"

"You never have to see her again. The police took her away." He looked up, his blue eyes slightly watery- like the real ocean. "If I'd realized her sooner that she had- I could have… you wouldn't be here. I'm so sorry."

Sharpay shook her head and placed her hand on top of his fingers again. When she thought about the last time she saw his hands it made her want to cry. He'd been pressing his Michael Kors suit jacket against the site of the bullet entry, trying to stop the blood, his other hand brushing hair away from her face. Thank God they'd taken Gabriella away. Because if she got back to Eastwood and found her prancing around campus like the Queen Bitch she thought she was she'd turn the gun on _her_. Well… not really. Probably just beat the crap out of her with it. Where had she even gotten a gun anyway? Had it been stashed in their dorm the whole time? How had she snuck it past Lily? Psycho. "Don't apologize, Troy. You're not Superman. You've already saved me more than once."

"But if I-"

"If you're going to blame yourself for Gabriella's psychosis, could you at least not do it out loud? It's not your fault. And it's over, so just… please?"

He nodded slowly, "I should probably go get the nurse."

"No, please," she pleaded, laying back down carefully. "Please don't leave me."

Troy had a sad smile on his face as he picked up her hand and slid his fingers in between hers. He stared down at their intertwined fingers for a few seconds before saying anything. "You were so pale, Shar. By the time the ambulance came you'd lost so much blood we were starting to…" He shook his head, like he was trying to erase the memory away like an Etch-A-Sketch board. _We?_ Who else had been around her? All she remembered was focusing on Troy. Sharpay bit the inside of her cheek, wishing she could make him feel better. She was so tired. She just wanted him to know it was okay so that he could lay next to her and hold her until he fell asleep.

He looked up at her again. "I don't know if you can remember anything from after the shot... You were sort of zoning in and out but... before they lifted you into the ambulance, despite everything that was going on, you managed to grab my hand." Troy ran his fingers over her knuckles, sniffling. Sharpay had never seen Troy like this. This vulnerable. It was different. "You were cold. Really cold... And they wouldn't let me inside no matter what I said and when they closed the doors I- I thought that it was the last-" Sharpay hadn't realized she was still crying until a tear drop rolled onto her pillow. Troy brushed away a tear of his own so quickly with the back of his thumb Sharpay wasn't sure it had even fallen. "Sharpay, I never got to tell you..."

Her heart stopped momentarily, her mind desperately trying to recall everything that had led up to being shot. Troy was about to tell her something. Gabriella had interrupted. But no one was here except for them.

"Sharpay, I l-"

"Sharpay! Where's my baby!"

Sharpay couldn't even turn to the sound of her mother's frantic voice in the hallway. She was stuck, frozen in place, staring up into Troy Bolton's just-barely-mismatched eyes, a waterfall of tears threatening to pour down if she blinked. Was he about to say what she thought he was about to say? What he had started to say at the Gala? What she, herself, had been wanting to say for so long? Of course he was… How many other sentences began with 'I l-'? Besides… I _lasagna_ or I _leather_.

Oh yes. His mind was definitely on Italian food and cow hide.

When Troy's cheeks flushed and he looked over towards the door to the hospital room, Sharpay brought herself to follow his gaze. Her mother's wet, red face was the first thing Sharpay noticed as she ran through the door and immediately to her side. In her wake a few Eastwood students peaked in through the doorway, all still wearing rolled up, wrinkled versions of their Gala outfits. Martha's tiny frame was the only thing that managed to slide into the room, staying towards the corner while Sharpay felt her mom's arms wrap around her head in a harshly soft manner. "Sharpay, honey, I'm so sorry. It took forever to get out of the city and I took the wrong exit and _oh my god_, my baby." She mumbled into her daughter's hair. Sharpay forced herself to let lose Troy's hand and replace them around her mother's back. "Don't worry about it, mom. You're here now."

"Oh, sweetie." Lidia Evans cooed, pulling back to look at Sharpay, her hands frantically smoothing back her blonde hair. "Your friend called and told me what happened. Then the school called and the hospital- I can't believe it. I'd like to know how that girl got her hands on a gun and how nobody noticed. I'm not paying tens of thousands a year so you can get shot every semester."

"Mom, please. Trust me when I say I'm sure no one knew. It was just a horrible accident."

There was that word again. _Accident_.

"It's true, Ms. Evans. Her own best friend didn't even know." Martha spoke up and Sharpay sat back up slowly to look at the stains on her white dress. She felt guilty for ruining so many expensive outfits. She didn't even want to know what hers looked like. "Neither did our dorm president. And she knows everything."

Lidia's face was returning to its normal tan shade as she looked over to her. "You're not... her best friend, are you?

"Gabriella's?" Martha's eyes went wide and she shook her head. "No! I mean, sure, I guess we used to be but then she went crazy and Lily demoted her and-"

"And by that she means 'no'," Jason smiled, sliding into the room with a nurse behind him. The nurse went first to check on a patient in a divided section of the room. He stopped behind her, putting both hands on her shoulder to calm her. Lidia smiled at the two of them, "You're very sweet. Where's um... Martha? She was the one who called me."

"Oh, that's me!" Martha said, voice cheery and soothing. Sharpay saw her mom's face light up, as she circled around the hospital bed and hugged her. She felt embarrassed. Her mom was high on love and relief. "Well, thank you Martha. If you ever need anything, _anything_, just call. Okay?"

If Martha hadn't started laughing and said, "Will do." Sharpay would have been completely mortified by her mother's embarrassing thank-you affections. Then her mother seemed to notice the boy standing behind her- only now did Sharpay realize the cuffs of his shirt had dark red stains on them. His white shirt almost mimicked Troy's exactly, except he only had one button undone and his gold tie dangled, also damaged, from his neck. He must have been the one who was holding her down. Jason was just getting better and better. Sharpay wanted to get up and hug him but her mother got to it first.

"I'm not sure who you are, but you've got blood on you which means you helped in some way, so _thank you_." Sharpay closed her eyes and dragged the palm of her hand down her face. She didn't want to see the amused expression on Jason's face at her mother's friendliness. "Jason... Cross, ma'am. I'm a, uh, close friend of your daughter's."

"Ooh. Boyfriend?" Lidia cooed, stepped back and looking him over. Sharpay squeezed her eyes closed even tighter. The room suddenly felt like it was a million degrees. Any second now her heart rate monitor was going to go through the roof. How Jason managed to stay so collected was beyond her.

"Me? Oh, no. No, we're not like that. I proposed once but she was otherwise betrothed..." His green eyes flicked to Troy and her mother followed them to the body of the boy standing protectively close to her daughter's recovery bed. Sharpay opened her eyes at the brief moment of silence. Her mother's brown eyes were no doubt taking in Troy's appearance- his tired eyes, messy hair, and designer wear now branded with her daughter's B-. Sharpay looked up at him.

The nurse reappeared just in time to stop Sharpay's mother from assaulting Troy with hugs and embarrassing questions. "I don't know how you all got in here, but family only, please. You can see her when she's moved out of post-op. Shouldn't be long now."

Lidia's eyes went right back to her daughter, as if just remembering she'd had surgery. Sharpay moved her hand an inch, reaching for Troy. He turned towards her, very aware that she was going to ask him to stay again. He just gave her a look. A look that sort of said Now-I-Can't-Say-It and But-I-Really-Wish-I-Could. He picked up her hand and pressed his lips to it for a long moment before placing it back down gently. "You should be with your mom."

"Troy-"

"I'll be right there when they move you, I promise. I'll be here the entire time."

Sharpay nodded, feeling the pain return to her abdomen the second Troy left the room. Lidia was paying full attention as the nurse asked Sharpay questions like "How are you feeling?" and "How bad is the pain?" but Sharpay was still staring at the doorway.

_How am I feeling? _Like the person I love was about to tell me he loved me back.

_How bad is the pain? _Really bad.

/

Sharpay didn't remember when she'd fallen asleep. She didn't even know how long her naps were or how long they lasted. But it couldn't have been too long a time frame seeing as no one's outfits seemed to change. She just remembered the things she saw when her eyes flickered open.

She remembered waking up in a completely different room. She turned her head and saw her mother in one of two chairs near the side of her bed. She blinked and saw Troy handing her a paper cup of coffee. She lifted her tired head and took the cup and Troy settled right back down in the chair next to her.

She remembered Troy's chair being pulled closer to her bed, his head leaning on his hand as he tried to convince himself he wasn't falling asleep. She blinked and saw James throwing a blanket over him. She wondered if Lily had visited, too. Had Ryan? Had Nolan? She blinked up at the table next to her IV and saw a stuffed bear with a bandaid over its stomach. Some flowers. Some balloons.

She remembered talking to Troy for a few minutes. But then she got tired and her wound starting hurting so she'd lay back down and eventually fall back asleep. The scene around him seemed to change every time she woke up. Different people. New _Get Well Sharpay!_ items. But Troy barely seemed to move. The only thing that had noticeably changed was the fact someone had brought Troy some new clothes. Which was good. Because just thinking about her blood on Troy's expensive dress shirt was enough to make her want to cry. The wound itself was painful but the memory was just as bad.

Luckily the medicine put her into dreamless sleeps so she didn't have to relive the Gala scenario over and over every time she passed out. She wondered what it'd be like when she was at home, or back at Hale, when she and her mind would be left to fend for herself. She would need Troy there. Just like he was at her side now. She blinked her eyes open slowly, adjusting easily to the dull light coming from the bulbs behind her bed. Her mother had probably shut them off when she'd noticed both she and Troy had fallen asleep.

She turned to the left and saw Troy still hadn't moved from the uncomfortable-looking chair a few inches from her bed. His eyes were closed though, finally. He was propping up the side of his face with his hand with the elbow resting on the arm of the chair. Her mother had sprung for a single room, so at least the thing was cushioned. He looked much calmer in his sleep- unlike the recent awake version of himself which consisted of constantly asking her if she was okay, how she was feeling, if she needed anything. Not that she minded the attention. But none of those subjects were what she wanted to talk about.

She wanted to know what he was thinking. What he had been about to say. At the Gala. In the Post-Op. He hadn't made a move to say it again and she was too nervous to take the chance. Too afraid of rejection in her fragile state. And also a little afraid that he was only telling her now because of what she'd gone through. She wanted it to be perfect- which it would have if Gabriella hadn't messed it up. The thought crossed her mind and she closed her eyes to try to forget, but all that did was bring up the mental movie. She brushed away the tear that rolled over her rose and down her cheek to the pillow, frustrated.

Was this going to be her life now? Too afraid to be awake but too scarred to sleep?

She stared at Troy, watching his chest rise and fall slightly as he breathed in and out. She did this for a while until she heard footsteps accompanied by the light from the hallway as someone pushed open the partially closed door. She let her eyes fall shut, forcing herself to picture Troy and herself anywhere but here so that she couldn't think of Gabriella. Or the gun. Or the fact she still wasn't positive of how he really felt.

/

"Troy, sweetie..." Sharpay's mother brushed some hair from Troy's face as he shook himself from his dream. Or was it a nightmare? He lifted his head, a blanket sliding off of his shoulders and he rubbed at his eye. He wondered how Lidia managed to look so fresh after spending a day in hospital. "You should go home. Get some sleep in a real bed."

"No, that's okay. Really. I want to be here. I need to be with her."

"You need to be with her." Lidia repeated, as if it was childish at their age to love someone. He looked over at Sharpay's bed. She had only waken up fully once or twice. And even then it was for less than an hour. The pain and the medicine had something to do with it. Or so the doctor said. A little piece of him wondered if she was too afraid to wake up. Too afraid to face the world again. He couldn't even imagine what kind of things were going on in her mind.

He looked up at her mother, feeling like he was looking into Sharpay's own eyes. They were exact same shade of brown. The same little flecks of green hidden in the iris. He just wanted Sharpay to wake up so he could see the real thing. "If you want some alone time I'll go for a walk to the cafeteria or something, I just-" he shook his head and moved the blanket down onto his lap. He looked over towards Sharpay. "I won't leave her."

He saw the corner of her mouth lift into a smile, the small hint of a dimple form on her cheek. He bit back a grin and turned back to Lidia, "And I'm sure she'll wake up soon."

"Mm. It's about time. I haven't seen her sleep this much since she got her tonsils removed. The only time she woke up was when they brought her ice cream." Lidia tilted her head as she looked at her daughter. It was a mixture of sadness and love and pain. She was probably the only other person in the world who wished they could have saved Sharpay as much as Troy did himself. He pulled his arm out from under the blanket and looked at the small bandage taped to his forearm. He hadn't even noticed the bullet had grazed him when it first happened. He was too busy catching Sharpay. The look on her face when she'd been hit haunted him at every turn.

She hadn't even screamed. Her eyes had grown huge and her mouth had sort of just... opened. Like she was surprised. Nolan had been the one who pointed it out when they were trying to keep Sharpay awake. He could picture it vividly. He, James, and Nolan all crowded around on the floor in the middle of the ballroom, trying to figure out how to stop the bleeding. Jason and Vince had jumped for Gabriella the second the bullet made contact. Ryan was trying to calm Martha down, who had started having a massive panic attack the second she saw the blood. Kelsi was screaming into her phone at the 9-1-1 operator. And Lily was screaming at the security- who had failed to do anything to stop the shooting from happening in the first place.

He looked at Sharpay again and saw the dimple was still there. "Vanilla."

Lidia looked back to Troy, "Hm?"

"I just said vanilla," he clarified, shaking his head. "It's her favorite."

"That it is," she agreed, pausing for a long moment. Troy could feel her eyes going back and forth between he and her daughter, like she was actually understanding how they felt about each other by him knowing that simple fact. Or maybe it was the way Troy couldn't stop looking at her. Or maybe it was the way Troy repositioned himself so that he was closer to her bed, waiting until she stopped pretending to be asleep. "I'll go see if I can find some for her when she wakes up..."

Troy turned towards her, already backing away to the door with that knowing parental smile on her lips. "I could do it... if you wanted to sit with her for a while."

"No, sweetie, you can stay." She grinned one more time before leaving the room and Troy looked back to Sharpay. Her brown eyes were already open. She was so beautiful.

"She called you sweetie." He smirked as he nodded, pushing the blanket off of him to inch the chair closer. She stuck her arm out. "Don't sit in that thing any longer. It's hurting _me_ just seeing you in it."

"Would you rather I stand?"

"I'd rather you be here," she corrected, patting the knit blanket next to her. She inched back as if to make room, looking careful not to pull the IV or her stitches. He was too nervous to touch her. But he was too tempted not to. "Your mom'll be back soon."

"I don't care," she said, voice full of sleep. He was exhausted. But if she was awake he was going to be, too. He gave in far too easily, climbing under the blanket as she lifted it up for him. She leaned as close to him as she could without wincing- well, there was some wincing but Troy held her back, wrapping his arms around her instead. She pressed her cheek into his arm, taking a deep breath and smiling. "I missed you."

He pressed his lips to her forehead, resting them there and running his hand along her arm. He pulled the blanket up a little more, determined to keep her warm. Safe. "I never left."

/

It felt weird being back at Eastwood. Unsettling. Unnerving. But Sharpay knew she had to come back eventually. Her mother had asked her if she'd wanted to transfer to another school but the idea made Sharpay even more uncomfortable. The idea of not being near Troy or any of their friends or Hale after everything she'd been through last semester seemed dumb. It wasn't even an option. She wouldn't have minded staying in New York a little longer though. She'd spent almost two weeks in the hospital, and the rest of the break she had spit between her room and Troy's.

The rest of Hale and Stuart had flown down to St. Barts- a vacation they'd had planned for months. Troy had selflessly stayed behind to be with her, despite Jason's convincing arguments. She had been invited, of course, but the idea of having on a bikini with her giant gauze pad taped to her side seemed greatly unappealing. They had spent the last four days at The Four Seasons in Bora Bora by themselves, however- and that was only because Troy had blindfolded her and brought her to the airport. And her mother had been fine with it. Apparently Troy was Lidia's new favorite person.

She looked around the grounds as Troy drove down from the dorms to the parking lot. Lily had put her chauffeur on luggage duty so she hadn't even been inside Hale yet. She wasn't sure what it was going to be like. Being inside. Not having to worry about a psychotic brunette downstairs.

There was a comfortable silence between Troy and Sharpay as he turned into the parking lot, the radio playing some top 40 tune Sharpay wasn't paying attention to. She scanned all the cars as they passed them, trying to add up the hundreds of thousands of dollars they cost in her head. Back in Albuquerque she drove her cousin's old Honda Civic. It was nice, sure, but nothing like anything in this sea of Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.

"I think you have the nicest car in the lot, Troy," she noted casually, watching a group of students make their way up the paved hill to the dorms. She said it mostly because she felt she hadn't said anything in a while. But she also knew how much Troy loved his Maserati and any excuse to compliment him on it normally went a long way. He grinned as he pulled into a space between a blue Infiniti and a white Volvo. She was surprised he felt comfortable parking his car down here. Though she was sure if it got scratched it'd be fixed within twenty four hours.

"You just say that because you haven't seen James'," he offered, looking over at her as he pulled the key from the ignition and opened the door. She touched his hand as she stood up from the car, mostly because she just like touching him. Even if he was wearing two layers of clothing. She straightened herself out, adjusting her jacket as she looking around the lot. She touched her bandage briefly, a new nervous habit of hers. She turned back to Troy and saw him staring at her. "You're good?"

"I think this is the thirtieth time you've asked me since we got off the freeway." Sharpay smiled, pushing the door of the dark grey GranTurismo shut. He leaned an arm on the hood and looked across at her, "Humor me."

"I'm good, I promi-"

_Honk. HonkHonkHonkHonk. HonkHonk._

Sharpay caught her tongue and jumped at least five feet into the air, her arm swinging into the car before she realized the noise was not rapid gunfire. She gave Troy an I'm-sorry-for-hitting-your-one-hundred-twenty-thousand-dollar-car glance as she cradled her elbow in her hand. She turned towards Jason's Cadillac Escalade, forcing normality to return to her face.

"Seriously, Jason?" Troy asked, following her eyes.

"My bad, Blondie," Jason replied in her direction, _almost_ completely earnest. "Still a little head shy?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"No, of course not," he smirked, turning back to the wheel. "But I'll try to keep it down nonetheless."

"Appreciated," Troy replied, nodding towards Jason to drive away. Sharpay bit the inside of her cheek and looked over at him. "See? I'm totally good."

_HonkHonk._

Spoke too soon. Her jump was more of a twitch this time, still shocked from the last one, probably. She reached up and touched her chest to feel her heart thumping against her chest. "I'd be a whole lot better if people could _stop_ _doing that_."

She turned back again and saw Nolan's car stopped in the same place Jason's had. The car behind his drove around, hoping to find the next best parking spot. "Look at you out and about. I see Bolton decided to let you out of the plastic bubble he calls his hotel suite."

"You're hilarious, Clark." Troy

"I know," he smirked, bringing his pale blue eyes to Sharpay, "See you at dinner?"

She nodded wordlessly, pulling her coat around her as he drove off. Barely a second later she felt a pair of hands wrap around her torso- carefully- and a pair of lips press into the back of her head. She leaned back against Troy's body. _This_ she could handle. He moved his mouth towards her lips, "You ready?"

She nodded, figuring she'd have to face Hale Hall sooner or later. She slid her hand into his and took a few steps, "Come on. It's cold."

"So tell me, how excited are you for another three classes with me this semester?" Troy squeezed her hand and she smiled. Her schedule was just as hard as last semester, with the exception of her free elective. American Romanticism, Chemistry AP, Trigonometry, French 5 AP, and Photography. It was going to be a busy five months. At least Chemistry and Trigonometry were the only two classes she'd be alone for. Though she was sure Taylor or Ryan would be with her.

"Very excited," she answered, watching the pavement as they walked up the hill. It seemed like a nice place for stairs. "I'm just glad I convinced you to take French 5."

"Well, I had such a good tutor for French 4 and I didn't want to put her out of a job."

"That'd be wrong."

"Can you say that in French?"

"Can you wait until class to start quizzing me?" He smirked, kissing the side of her head as they made playful conversation the rest of the way to the main quad. She could see Hale coming closer and closer to her. The bricks. The stone staircase. The remnants of gold flowers chased away by the winter frost. They were about ten feet away when-

"Sharpay, oh my gosh!"

Sharpay turned her gaze from Hale and saw two girls she'd never met before walking in her direction. Practically skipping. She looked at them skeptically, "Hi..."

"How _are_ you?" Short brunette girl asked.

"Are you good?" Tall brunette girl asked.

"I'm... great, thank you. And I really don't mean to be rude, but you are?"

"Oh, sorry, we're over in Gregory. We should have figured you don't us. I'm Brandi!" Tall brunette answered.

"And I'm Christina," short brunette added. She turned to Troy. "We had chem... last semester... Do you remember?"

"Of course. You sat in the front by Ryleigh. I remember." Troy grinned, sending Christina into a fit of girlish giggling. She pinched Brandi's arm. Everyone loved Troy.

"Well we'll let you guys go inside. It's pretty cold. But we'll see you around campus?" Brandi asked.

"Sure," Sharpay smiled once more, waiting until they walked past them to turn to Troy. "What's all that about?"

"It would appear you're all the school can talk about," Troy said, almost proudly. "The Gala sort of immortalized you into the Eastwood society. Now you're not just Sharpay Evans: Hale Girl, you're Sharpay Evans: Gala Gunshot Survivor."

"As flattering as that sounds, I don't think I can handle all the attention. They were only two girls and I'm uncomfortable."

"It gets easier," he assured, leading them back in the direction of the tall, closed doors of Hale Hall.

"Easy for you to say," Sharpay mumbled, taking small steps. "You've been popular since first grade."

"Kindergarten," he joked. "But who's counting?"

She stopped at the staircase, looking up at Hale. The last time she was inside this building so was Gabriella. And the last time she saw Gabriella there was a gun pointed in her direction. Troy had climbed a few steps but he turned to look at her when he noticed she hadn't followed. She blinked up at her room's window and swore she saw the silhouette of a girl behind the curtain. She pictured Gabriella sitting on her old bed, legs crossed, smirking maliciously, waiting to finish the job. She touched her T pendant protectively.

"She's not here, Shar."

There he was, reading her mind again. He'd gotten progressively better at it after spending every waking hour over break with one another. Not good enough, though. Since he couldn't seem to sense how badly she was wishing he would say the L word. Finally. She looked up at him, still not taking a step toward him. "What if she escaped?"

"Like Lily would even let her on a freeway that leads toward Connecticut," he held out his hand. "I'm right here, okay?

Now or never, Sharpay.

She pulled her ID from her jacket pocket, climbing the stairs in her black fringe wedges- the very same shoes she'd first climbed these stairs in back in November. Back when she was a nobody. Back when she was safe. Toy touched her back supportively as she swiped the card. Someone from behind her called her name to say hello- another student she'd never even seen before. She pushed the door open. She stepped inside. She looked around. And for some reason she wasn't as scared as she thought she would be.

"Welcome back." Sharpay turned and saw Lily lounging casually in one of the armchairs as if she'd been at Eastwood for days. Her black hair didn't seem as harsh with her new vacation tan. Sharpay smiled, "Thanks."

"Take your coat off, stay a while," she grinned, standing up but not moving much closer towards she and Troy. Sharpay had slid her jacket off and was turned towards the coat hooks when she spoke next. "Does it feel different now that you're back? Hale?"

Sharpay nodded slowly, looking around the open room. The white walls. The dark mahogany floors. "It feels like... Like I won't have to worry about Gabriella's surprise death traps anymore.."

"There's always surprises in Hale. Though not all of them are as masochistic as hers. Maybe a few last year when I was trying to solidify my spot as president- but I digress." Lily smirked and looked over at the staircase. "Go unpack. We're leaving for dinner as soon as everyone gets here."

"Who's still missing?" Troy asked, not arguing as Sharpay slid her hand back into his, ready to go upstairs and get this over with. "Jennifer and Taylor."

"Is Taylor still a mess?"

Lily nodded, "She's putting up a good front, but I can tell."

Sharpay had managed to pull Troy to the first step of the staircase. Her brow furrowed as she looked back at Lily. "Why is she a mess?"

"You didn't tell her?"

Troy shrugged at Lily. "It seemed less important when she was in the hospital." He looked at Sharpay. "Chad isn't- he didn't make his GPA requirement for his scholarship so he couldn't afford to... he just had to transfer. For a while the Stuart fathers deliberated to whether they should keep him in or if we should initiate another student and... the latter just seemed like the better option."

Sharpay frowned, "He worked so hard. That's horrible."

"That's life," Lily added casually. She looked knowingly at Troy and then at Sharpay. "Not all of us have guardian angels looking out for us."

Sharpay bit the inside of her cheek, waiting until Lily had walked back into the common room to pull _her_ guardian angel up the stairs. The vague image of her anesthesia dream came back to her. She and Troy laying on the clouds. His halo illuminating his features.

The third floor hallway never seemed so long. It probably didn't help that Troy was silent, probably thinking she was mentally preparing herself. Which she was. But still. They passed Kelsi's room. Then Angela's. Then Lily's. Then Brooke and Martha's. All the doors were shut, leaving Sharpay to assume they were at Stuart or walking about the campus. She let go of Troy's hand, cautiously reaching for the door knob. Her hand rested there on the cold brass, unsure of what to do next. Sharpay took a deep breath to calm herself. _Gabriella is not in this room. She is not in Hale or at Eastwood. She is gone. She is not coming back to hurt you._

But what if none of that is true?

She pulled her hand away quickly and turned her back to the door to look at Troy's chest. She shook her head. "I can't do it."

"Are you scared?" She nodded. She didn't want to, but she did. She didn't want to be, but she was. She wanted to be strong, but she wasn't. She knew the fear was irrational but she couldn't shake it. "Of Gabriella?"

She nodded again and he pressed his lips wordlessly against her forehead. After a moment, his hands traced over her sheer white UNIF button-up. One of them stopped over the bandage she was still required to wear. His armor cracked slightly as she watched him try not to frown. "I promised I wouldn't let her touch you."

"Technically? The bullet is what touched me."

Touched? Try penetrated.

Good time make a joke, Sharpay.

She shivered at her own words. Troy pulled her into a tighter hug, lips pressing into her hair. She held onto the back of his arms while he smoothed his hands along her back. "This isn't her room anymore. This is your room. This is your dorm. She has no control over anything you do anymore." He placed his hands on her arms, pulling back to look into her eyes. His were so blue. So earnestly, beautifully blue. "Okay? Things are going to be normal now. You're safe."

She nodded for what felt like the hundredth time and he brushed some hair from her face. "Want me to stay and help you unpack?"

"Not unless you have something better to do. I'd hate to keep you from your Stuart duties."

"No duties tonight. I'll all yours. Whatever you want to do."

"Whatever I want?" He nodded slowly, a suspicious look crossing his face. She could think of one thing that would distract her from her fear of opening that bedroom door. She bit the corner of her lip, "Wanna make out?"

"Do you even have to ask?" He smirked, sliding an arm around her waist and using the other to twist the doorknob and push the door open. She pulled at his jacket, bringing him closer and steadying herself as she walked backwards into the room. She slid her arms around his neck, ignoring the slight pull on her stitches and pushing the door shut as they passed it. Maybe he was right. Maybe things were going to be normal. And if this counted as normal maybe she and Troy could actual have a normal relationship. One that included telling one another how they really felt. Maybe even letting other people know. Just the idea brought a smile to her face. One of Troy's hands worked their way up to the side of her face, as if he wanted to feel her happiness. They stayed there in that kiss for a long, perfect moment.

And then that moment ended.

"Well, well. What have I done to deserve this lovely Welcome Wagon?"

Sharpay pulled her arms from Troy's neck, slowly looking around him to the owner of the voice. She expected Gabriella to be there, gun in hand, ready to finish her off. But instead she saw the fluorescent pink pumps, the sheer sixteen-hundred dollar blouse, and the vintage lace bra underneath. The messiness of the girl's dirty blonde hair offset the precision of the outfit. And those eyes. Sharpay had only seem them in pictures but she would know them anywhere. They haunted her.

Troy didn't even turn around as his hand slid slowly from Sharpay's face. He knew better than she did. Far better. His voice was low and void of surprise. "Tiara."

What was that Troy had said about things being normal?

Sharpay swallowed the shock in her throat. She'd been expecting this, of course. They all had. But not now. Not at this moment. Troy was _hers_. She looked her up and down once more, feeling completely inadequate in her presence. They were both wearing white blouses and jeans and yet somehow Tiara pulled it off better. She had to change her shirt right now. But she couldn't bring herself to move away from Troy. She could even bring a happy tone to her voice when she finally said her name. "Tiara."

Tiara grinned. A warm grin that wasn't malicious or suspicious like Gabriella's. She seemed, dare she say it, _nice_. Friendly. She was pretty, too. Painfully pretty. Sharpay couldn't find a flaw anywhere. A reason not to stare. A reason for Troy not to love her.

No such luck.

"Nice to meet you."

* * *

><p>She's Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.<p>

I hope you guys are as excited as I am (;


	2. Stay Strong

This was not real.

This was a nightmare.

Sharpay pulled her arms away from Troy and took a step to her right, trying to better assess what the hell was going on. Tiara was just standing there smiling like nothing was wrong. Like she had been here first semester. Like she hadn't hurt Troy. Sharpay was half angry at Tiara for ever having caused Troy so much pain and half scared out of her mind wondering what was going to happen with her back on campus.

"I see you've taken my bed," she said, nodding over Sharpay's shoulder.

"I didn't... I mean-"

"Don't worry about it," she smiled. Again. Her teeth were the perfect shade of white. "I technically never slept in it, anyway. You're from- wait, don't tell me, I know this- Albuquerque, right? New Mexico?"

Sharpay nodded, glancing over to Troy He hadn't moved an inch, frozen in place like a statue. She had never seen him so still. She wasn't even sure if he was still breathing. Tiara's luminescent eyes followed hers. They had to be contacts. No one's eyes were that gorgeous. It was like she was PhotoShopping herself in real time. Her lips turned upward but this time none of her teeth showed. She tilted her head as she looked at her ex-boyfriend. "Cat got your tongue, Troy?"

Sharpay wasn't watching Tiara as she straightened out her multi-strand Lanvin pearl necklace. She was too busy holding onto her bandage, suddenly in pain in more places than one. Troy's eyes hadn't moved. His pupils were frozen, staring towards the corner of the room. She wondered if he could see Tiara's reflection in the mirrored closet doors. Tiara didn't seemed fazed by his lack of reply. She simply continued, "Nothing to say to me after all these months?"

_Why are you here? Why are you doing this?_ So many questions. So little being said.

"Not even a hello?"

"Could you just-!" Troy blurted, his left hand shooting up to silence her. He stopped himself a took a breath. Two breaths. Threefourfive. He swallowed whatever emotions he had in his throat and turned towards her. Sharpay couldn't tell if he was sad or happy or angry or if he actually wanted to hug her. He didn't look her up and down. He didn't smile. His forehead didn't wrinkle in confusion. He just stared across at her, eyes unreadable.

Tiara blinked at him. Sharpay watched Tiara blink at him. She watched Tiara smile. She noted every single perfection in Tiara's face. "You look the same."

"Really? Because I'm not. A lot changes in _eight_ _months_."

_Yes. Like me. Sharpay. Remember me? The less attractive blonde you haven't made eye contact with in four minutes?_

"Tell me about it," Tiara responded casually, still smiling. "Gabriella? A psychopath? Who knew?" When Troy stared at her silently she simply continued speaking. But Sharpay didn't even find it annoying. The tone was soothing. Even her voice was perfect. "Though if you think about it, she was always obsessively clocking your location. I think you've got a tracking device somewhere on your-"

"Why are you talking like that?" Troy asked, cutting her off. Sharpay looked back and forth between them, still silent. What was he talking about? She was talking fine.

"Like-? _Oh_. Habit." Tiara shook her head, grinning, and looked over at Sharpay. "My step-father was trying to close an important deal with a client for something near a month. And of course, to impress the patriotic wanker, I was coaxed into speaking with the accent all throughout the night. I don't understand what the problem is, honestly, I'm from Beaconsfield. Not like I'm not a chav. "

So being gorgeous, wonderful, and flawless isn't enough? She has to be British, too?

"T," Troy said, giving her a look. Tiara rolled her eyes teasingly. "_Sorry_. Only been here five minutes and proper Troy has already come out to play."

"It's just derogatory."

"You're just too sweet for your own good. It's shocking some pretty girl hasn't come along and walked all over you."

"Mm," Troy almost smirked as she took a casual stride towards him. Like this was a game. Like she hadn't walked all over him. She stopped near his shoulder and looked at his shirt. She picked off an invisible speck, brushing the spot off with her hand. Troy just stared at her. But he didn't look angry anymore. "Shocking."

Sharpay felt herself melting into the background. She swallowed her fears and nervousness and sat on her bed. She had never felt so alone in Troy's presence before. She didn't know what was going on but it couldn't be good. Tiara seemed keenly aware of her presence, though. Not in a Gabriella way, though. It was like she actually wanted to talk to her, get to know her or something. She couldn't imagine why. The ex never liked the current girlfriend. There had to be something else going on here. Something more.

She let out a scoff to herself, shaking her head at her hands as she played with her pearl bracelet. This subtle noise somehow stirred Troy to his senses. He looked over at her, softening. She looked up as he walked towards her. "Oh, please. Don't stop on my account."

"Oh, she's funny," Tiara smirked, but her voice sounded sincere. Sharpay had no idea what to make of her at all. "I can see why you like her."

"Tiara," Troy said, half-cross half-tired. He looked over his shoulder. "Don't, okay? You don't have the right."

She raised an eyebrow, "Touchy subject?"

"Are you going to walk around the rest of the year pretending you didn't leave everything behind for seven months? Excuse me if I'm having a bit of a hard time picking up your cues where you left them off."

"Okay, you're right," Tiara replied, holding her hands up defensively. She ran one of them through her dirty blonde hair and inhaled through her nose. "Change of scenery then, yeah? How about some dinner?" She smiled at him and then over to Sharpay. At least _she_ knew Sharpay was still alive. "You all right? You look a bit pale... a bit peckish?"

Sharpay had no idea what the word 'peckish' meant but she nodded anyway. As Tiara turned back to grab her no doubt thousand dollar coat, Sharpay stood up from her bed, touching her still-healing wound over the bandage. At least this pain she could deal with. She didn't think a bandage would help with anything Tiara was about to inflict.

/

"Does Mario still make his gateaux? The lemon one?"

"Only on Saturdays."

"For real? Then what does he make on Sundays?"

"He has off Sundays."

"God, you leave for a half term and look what happens."

Troy shook his head, mostly to himself as the three of them strolled towards the cafeteria to meet up with everyone else. Quite the motley crew. This was ridiculous. He was pretty sure he was dreaming up some horrible nightmare and was going to wake up late for Lit class or something. It was such a vivid dream that Troy could even see the rainbow of Tiara's eyes. It was like she was actually here.

But he did wake up. He woke up every time he looked at Sharpay. Her uncomfortable posture. Her forced smile. She looked broken. The fact she kept holding her ribs wasn't helping much either. It was as if all the pain was rushing back. Troy couldn't even look at her because he felt so bad. Why was Tiara doing this? Why had she come back? Troy had come as far as he was ever going to get in forgetting her and now _this_.

Major setback in the process.

He snuck a glance from the corner of his eye as Tiara went on questioning everything that was different about Eastwood. '_You want to know how you learn about all the things that change at Eastwood?'_ He wanted to say_, 'By not leaving in the first place.'_ She wasn't smiling. She didn't look vibrant like she usually did. Well... she obviously looked beautiful, but there was something dulling her shine. Something keeping her from being at fully potency. He had a few pretty good ideas as to what the problem was.

As if feeling his discrete stare, Sharpay turned her head slightly as they made it to the staircase up to the cafeteria. He wanted to look away so badly but he held back. And then she blinked. A sad, knowing blink that made his heart shrink just the slightest bit. He was a horrible person. A horrible, selfish person. She stepped ahead of him to open the door herself, unable to handle his gaze. He couldn't handle it himself.

The door had just barely shut behind them when-

"Tiara Gold!"

The entire cafeteria went silent. The echo of Jason's voice reverberated around the room. Troy caught his friend's eye and shook his head. A slow smile spread across Tiara's face as she tilted her head towards Troy. "You think they'd seen a ghost."

The conversation that resumed was mainly rumors and whispers and gossip. By the time Tiara, Troy and Sharpay had taken their usual seats only half of the room was staring. Tiara, at the head of the table, shrugged her coat off and draped it over the back of her chair. She looked around the table, "Miss me?"

"Are you actually here right now?" Kelsi asked, her new iPhone face down on the table next to a half-eaten plate of salad. Fashion week next month meant strict diet since New Years. Troy couldn't even imagine the pressure. Especially since the food at Eastwood had the tendency to be really delightful.

"I seem to be."

"Can't blame someone for thinking someone as beautiful as you is just a dream, Gold," Jason smirked, popping a fresh piece of pesto tortellini into his mouth. His green eyes flickered over to Troy and Troy gave him an _I-don't-know-either_ blink. Tiara tilted her head in admiration. "How I've missed you, J."

"And how we've all missed _you_."

"You do know summer break ended in, like, August... right?" Martha asked. Troy turned to look at her and got a big eyeful of Sharpay. She blinked up at him and then blinked away, almost like she was ashamed to be around or something. She pulled her phone underneath the table and went straight to a text message. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to kiss her. To touch her in some way, but it almost felt wrong. He scratched the back of his neck and leaned back in his chair, catching the quizzical look Jason was giving him. He looked over at Tiara and Troy followed his eyes. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. _On a scale of one to ten, how crazy are you going right now?_

Troy quickly shot Jason back a _9.5_ and placed his phone on the table.

Tiara, in the middle of asking Ryan about their French class- the one she had been signed up for, the one Sharpay had taken her place in- turned and looked at him with a small smile on her face. Why was she doing this? Why was she here? Why now? "I went to Paris while I was away, you know. Do you remember that small cafe with all the gold furniture? Apparently the owner decided he was into red so they've redesigned the entire thing."

"I would kill to have been in Paris instead of Darbus' class," Kelsi sighed, the kind of sigh a girl made when she was jealous of something.

"Guess we're not all as lucky as Tiara," Taylor said softly, her forehead in her hand as she read from a thick, small-print book.

"Your entire room must look like a library by now, hm Tay?" Taylor looked up, probably glad her comment went mostly unacknowledged. "Where's your lovely Chad nowadays? You two still together?"

Taylor's face dropped almost immediately. She forced as mediocre a smile as she could and looked down at her book again. She read a few words and then closed the book, pushing herself up the table. "I'm sorry, I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Nice," Zeke commented, standing up and following Taylor on her route out the door. Kelsi let a breath out through her nose, reaching for her jacket off the back of her chair. She kissed the corner of Ryan's mouth lightly, pushing her chair in. "I'm gonna go help."

"Do you want me to-?" Martha started. Kelsi shook her head, eye darting to a saddened Sharpay sitting in between she and Troy. She caught Troy's eyes next and flashed her eyebrows. A mental notification to fix the situation.

"What's the matter there?" Tiara asked, looking around the table.

"Chad was transferred this semester," Sharpay spoke up for what felt like the first time since they'd gotten here. Her voice was a few levels above monotonous. "Unwillingly."

Tiara's fingers grazed her heart earnestly as she sat forward in her chair, "I didn't know, honest."

"There's a lot you don't know, gorgeous," Jason smirked, popping another piece of pasta.

"Well don't beat around the bush, J."

"Tiara," Troy said, standing up from his chair. That was enough. He tilted his head towards the door as he looked down at her. "A word?"

"Certainly," she smiled, picking her napkin from her lap and placing it over her plate. She looked around the table, typical Tiara style. She was Eastwood Royalty. Or so others led her to believe. "Excuse us."

He slid his jacket onto his arms as he walked towards the door, feeling each eye on every person left in the room on he and Tiara as she walked behind him. He held the door open as she caught up to him, letting her walk down the short cement staircase first. A breeze blew threw them and he noticed she didn't smell like she used to. She'd told him she'd been using the same shampoo since fifth grade yet now there was no lavender fragrance anywhere around them. Just another thing to ask her.

"I don't know if you're back for good or just to mess with me, but-"

"Is that what you think?" Tiara asked, cutting him off. She blinked curiously at him as her dark blonde hair blew around her face. "That I'm messing with you?"

"Honestly? I don't think any of us know what to think right now."

"I don't care what the others think, Troy, it only matters what you think."

Troy swallowed whatever was in his throat and stared at her. This was harder than he thought it was going to be. The staying mad at her part. He'd forgotten just how enticing her eyes were. "Why should that matter?"

"Because I didn't love them like I love you."

_I love you_.

He couldn't even say it to Sharpay and here Tiara was throwing the phrase around so casually. Like it didn't mean as much. Or like it meant much more but felt so much less climactic. He took in a short breath and shook his head. "And yet you left anyway."

She took a step towards him, something unreadable in her expression. "You know I never would have left if it wasn't important, Troy. Do you honestly think I would have just walked away from you by choice? Do you have any idea of how much you meant to me_?_ I wanted to call to say I wasn't coming back but I couldn't. And then a few days of not talking to you, or anyone, turned into weeks and months and by the time you were back here I figured you already hated me so there wouldn't be much of a point."

"I could never hate you, T," Troy said almost automatically. He hadn't even meant to say it but it must have been true. His anger towards her was exponentially larger than he had thought possibly but more than that he had been sad. And confused. And alone, for the most part. And sure, that may have made it feel like he had hated her at times. But when it came down to it, he knew he never really did. He never could and he probably never will. There was a fine line between hurt and anger. Tiara grinned at him, the old familiar grin that made Troy realize there was still some of the old Tiara left in the girl standing in front of him. Now there was just one more thing he needed to know.

"Why did you leave?"

Tiara froze, her smile twitching for the briefest moment before she looked up to the doors of the cafeteria.

/

"Finished already?" Tiara shouted pleasantly up to the four survivors of the junior table. Sharpay noted her position in regards to Troy's. They were about two feet away from each other. Had she just hugged him? Were they friends again? She didn't look at either of them as she hopped down the staircase. She focused on the fringe of her boots. Tiara so easily fell back into conversation with Martha and Ryan. For a brief second Sharpay peaked up at the scene, only to see Troy smiling. Smiling at something Tiara was saying. Tiara. The girl who broke his heart. She turned and saw Jason a step ahead of her. She smiled weakly at him.

"Walk with me, Blondie," he said, outstretching his arm to her. She took a step and wrapped her arms around his, feeling more comfortable than she'd ever have imagined months ago. She could feel Tiara's presence behind her, her perfect British voice reminiscing with her old friends. Her old boyfriend. She'd even stolen Martha away. Sharpay was amazed Jason wasn't her best friend. She imagined them having so much in common. "You seem troubled."

"Do I?" she mumbled.

"Acting like this isn't gonna help keep them apart, you know," he said bluntly, tapping her hands. "You need to stay strong."

"I'm sorry, stay strong? Have you seen her face?"

"She's gorgeous, sure... Exceptionally- _ridiculously_ rich... Foreign a-"

"Jason?"

"But it doesn't matter. She's still a bitch."

That last part sparked a bit of life into Sharpay. She grinned curiously up at him, "You don't like her?"

Jason made a face and shook his head slowly. "I used to, obviously. But she fucked over my best friend. Hard. Everyone else may be fine with her being back, but I don't forgive as easily. And I definitely won't forget."

"Wow," was all Sharpay could think of. She loved the moments where he saw Jason's true, loyal self. She didn't understand his need to portray the role of female pursuant for the public. She liked him better this way. She didn't feel like slapping him when he was like this. "Wouldn't have figured by the way you were smiling at her in there."

He smirked and looked over at her, "I'm from Washington, Blondie. We invented the art of lying."

"You're so good at it, though," Sharpay shook her head just thinking about her horrible ability to lie. She got all flushed and shaky and she started sweating. It just wasn't a good time. She avoided it as much as humanly possible. "I, on the other hand, am pretty much the poster child for ."

"Oh, come on, you pretend to like me."

"Stop it, you're not that bad anymore."

"See?" He smirked, pointing over at her. "You're so good."

"Shut up," she smacked his hand away.

"Get a room, you two."

Sharpay loosened her grip on Jason's arm and looked over shoulder. Tiara just caught her eye and smiled her perfect Tiara smile. Her arm was so close to brushing against Troy's it almost looked like she wanted to hold his hand. Then again, she probably did. Last year she most likely would have been here and Sharpay would be off with Emma, Jackie and Lea or who knows who else. She looked over at Troy, only to see him looking down at the ground. Sharpay couldn't remember the last time she saw him like this. She didn't want to. As much as she hated being in pain, she hated even more that he was. This British bombshell was not going to come in and mess everything up.

At least she hoped not.

"Don't hate, Tiara," Jason shot back casually, lifting his arm around Sharpay's shoulders and pulling her in. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against him. "This sucks."

"We'll get her," he whispered, bringing his mouth towards her ear. "I promise."


End file.
